Blossoming Hobby A Lot Of Patience, Concern Produces The Desired Result For Orchid Growers.

PEOPLE

March 12, 1993|By DEBORAH RAMIREZ, Staff Writer

The tiny plant yielded its prize: a dozen quarter-sized flowers of yellow petals with red and orange markings.

The Oncidium also yielded Dan Christensen of Pembroke Pines a blue ribbon in a recent orchid show.

Christensen, a member of the Miramar Orchid Society, won two first-place ribbons and one second-place award at the Miami Orchid Show in Coconut Grove in late February.

Christensen is among countless orchid lovers in a land where orchid societies sprout up like shopping centers.

These societies -- where members discuss the wonders of orchid growing for hours -- are more common in South Florida than they are in many other parts of the country, said Bob Heitzman, president of the Flamingo Gardens Orchid Society in Davie. ``South Florida seems to have an ideal climate for a large variety of orchids,`` he said.

The orchid is one of the largest plant families in the world, with about 100,000 different varieties.

Many society members talk about orchids as blushing school boys and girls talk about first love.

Miramar Orchid Society president Mary Gonzalez remembers going to a show and falling in love with the colorful flowers.

For all the hype, orchids are not without aggravations. Many varieties take seven years to bloom.

``You wait a whole year for this little sucker to bloom and then a grasshopper comes along and eats (the bud),`` said Gloria Messler, Miramar Orchid Society first vice president.

At monthly meetings, orchid societies teach members how to prevent such catastrophes.

Professional growers are invited to lecture on seedlings, potting, fertilizing and fungicides -- the main components to orchid success.

The pros say orchid growing isn`t really that complicated. The plants don`t require much attention -- just the right kind of attention.

And Florida`s hot and sticky climate is just right for these plant.

Gisak Petrossian`s love affair with orchids goes back 25 years, ever since his wife gave him a plant. The retired surgeon is among the veterans who teach others to care for their plants.

He belongs to six orchid societies, and has more than 1,000 orchids in his Miramar back yard, covering the pool area, bench shades, and most garden nooks and crannies.

``I love beautiful things,`` Petrossian said wistfully. ``It`s a challenging hobby you never tire of. They don`t fight or talk back. They are gorgeous.``